Fitness 4-1-1: Answering the tough questions about exercise

Burning questions about the burn? No sweat. We polled three experts for the answers.

Q: If you have to choose, what’s better: shorter workouts more frequently, or fewer workouts that are longer/more intense?

A: “Shorter workouts — fueled with a mind game,” says Vinny Mogavero, owner of RuckHouse Athletics on University Avenue in Rochester, New York.

Vinny Mogavero(Photo: Provided)

“Knowing you have 60-plus minutes and dreading the prospect means you might just shut down. But when the mind tells the body, ‘Look, it’s only 30-45 minutes — I can do this!’... then you can. Longer sessions sometimes equate to boring sessions. Shorter sessions are more fun, energizing and easier to manage.”

Gabrielle Bourgoine, general manager of the Harro East Athletic Club in Rochester, favors shorter and more frequent workouts for reasons of calories and calendar.

“This way, you eliminate the excuse of, ‘There’s no time,’ ” she says. “Plus, you will see results quicker with short-interval workouts, which also help to boost your metabolism.”

Q: If you’re tired on a day you intend to exercise, is it better to push through and work out, or rest and postpone for a day you feel better?

A: Listen to your body, our experts agree — but never underestimate the power of just showing up.

“If you are able to start slow and push through a short workout, you’ll end up feeling energized,” says Bourgoine.

That being said, “R&R” days are a must, says Trisha Lampi of Orangetheory Fitness in Pittsford, New York: “If muscles physically need a break, then a day off for rest and recovery is absolutely perfect.”

Trisha Lampi(Photo: Provided)

Rest is one thing. “On the other hand, sometimes a small pep talk with yourself is all you need — and getting to your workout is half the battle. Always remember: Exercise improves sleep, energy and mood.”

Q: If you could choose one exercise, especially if you had time for only one thing, what would it be?

A: Row, row, row your machine, says Lampi.

“The indoor water rower is one of the top three, low-impact, ultimate calorie-burning exercises in the fitness industry,” she says. “Rowing recruits and strengthens 80 percent of the muscles in the human body.”

Bourgoine, meanwhile, would opt for squats — sinking into that invisible chair.

And Mogavero swears by the method of stringing rows, squats and other moves into a series of High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT: alternating intense bursts of activity with brief recovery periods.

“Recent studies have shown that HIIT can improve your fitness level in as little as two weeks,” he says, “and can give you the same cardiovascular and muscular benefits as sustained cardio work — in half to one-third the amount of time.”

Q: If you need to grab one pre-exercise snack for energy, what’s best? And for after?

A: “It’s tricky because what’s good today may be banned tomorrow,” concedes Mogavero. “But studies show that grabbing a small snack can give the body the fuel it needs.” He suggests using your hand to measure a palmful of carbs, half a palmful of protein, and a quarter palmful of fat.

He also recommends something containing peanuts or almonds, or both. Post-workout, he says, “Try to get a real meal into your system! My favorite post-workout meal is half a cup of brown rice, six to eight ounces of grilled chicken, and half a cup of spinach topped with a fresh pico de gallo.”

And what to avoid? Fatty foods. “Fat leaves the stomach very slowly,” says Mogavero, which means you’ll feel full and sluggish and could cramp up easily.”

Q: What’s the one thing people need to know about exercise that they might not know?

A: First, that it can actually turn a profit for you!

“Some medical insurance plans pay for you to exercise,” Lampi explains. “How much better can it get?”

Second, variety is the spice of fitness. “It is best to switch up your routines to avoid plateaus,” Bourgoine says.

Third: It takes time. So don’t expect a movie-reel montage of sudden transformation. “Nothing happens overnight, physically or mentally,” says Mogavero. “On average, it takes 66 days before a new behavior becomes automatic; and up to 254 days to form a new habit. So do not get upset if the results are not happening as fast as you want.”

Q: What’s the best motto or mindset to approach fitness and, by extension, life?

He says to ask, “What motivates you? What pushes you? What makes you want to be a better person?” Maybe it’s a child or parent; maybe it’s career success, the dating pool. “It does not matter what the reason is; and no one can give you the reason. But you use that image to fuel any journey in training and in life. Nothing comes easy — you have to work for it and want it.”

Sample HIIT Workout

A recipe for High Intensity Interval Training, courtesy of Vinny Mogavero, owner of RuckHouse Athletics.

Squats

Push-ups

Lunges

Sit-ups

Rowing

Supine bicycles

Dumbbell biceps curls

Alternating leg lifts

Dumbbell triceps extensions

Perform each movement for 20, 30 or 45 seconds, and repeat for two to five rounds, depending on how much time you have.